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One To-day^ is worth two To-morroWs. 







HISTORY 

of the 

SETTLEMENT OF JEWS IN 
PADUCAH 

and the 

LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

by 
ISAAC W. BERNHEIM 



Published for Temple Israel by Reason of 
the Generosity of Mr. Joseph L. Friedman 



Paducah,Ky.,July I, 1912 



NOTE. 

My Dear Mr. Benedict : 

The History of the Settlement of Jews in 
Paducah and in the Lower Ohio Valley has re- 
ceived its finishing touches and is being for- 
warded by mail to your address. Kindly present 
it, with my best wishes, to the Jewish Congre- 
£^ation, whose president I had the honor to be 
many, many years ago. The old town and its 
kindly people have ever occupied a soft spot in 
my memory, and if the little sketch — unvar- 
nished and truthful — pleases them and fills a 
useful place in the local history, I shall feel not 
only gratified, but amply compensated for the 
many hours of my leisure time in compiling it. 
Very truly yours, 

I. W. BERNHEIM. 



PREFACE. 

The history of the Jews of this country is 
very largely the history of the various congre- 
gations. For it was around them that the activ- 
ities of the Jews centered, and it was in the 
congregational life that they expressed them- 
selves best and most distinctively. An account 
of the beginnings and growth of any congrega- 
tion, no matter how small and seemingly insig- 
nificant it may be, constitutes therefore a contri- 
bution, even though an humble one, to the 
internal history of the Jews of the land. More- 
over, such a record of the efforts and strivings 
of the early Jewish settlers who were the found- 
ers of most of our congregations, the story of 
their loyalty to, and their enthusiasm for, their 
ancestral faith under the most trying and diffi- 
cult circumstances cannot but be an inspiration 
unto us and future generations. None can read 
such a narrative without being stirred thereby 
and without being strengthened and confirmed 
in his zeal and devotion to that faith for which 
our fathers were ever ready to make sacrifice. 

For this account of the Paducah Congrega- 
tion and of the Jewish communities along the 
Lower Ohio Valley we are indebted to Mr. I. W. 
Bernheim, for many years a resident of Paducah, 
but now of Louisville, Ky. The career of L W. 
Bernheim is typical of that of many Jews who, 
a generation or more ago, sought these shores 



in the hope of enjoying more liberty and of find- 
ing greater opportunities. Born in Schmieheim, 
Baden, Germany, November 4, 1848, he came to 
this country April 8, 1867, with the scantiest of 
capital. After peddling for about a year in the 
state of Pennsylvania he came to Paducah, May 
7, 1868. Here he engaged in business and grad- 
ually grew in wealth and influence. In 1874 he 
married Miss Amanda Uri. In 1888 he removed 
to Louisville, where he is to-day one of its most 
influential citizens, and because of his great 
interest in things Jewish and his readiness to 
contribute of his time and means to the cause 
of Jews and Judaism he has won for himself a 
prominent place in American Jewry. 

It is our hope that this history of the strug- 
gles and achievements of a small and humble 
section of Jews in this land will be of interest to 
many and that it will tend to quicken and keep 
alive a love and devotion for Israel's faith in the 
hearts of their descendants. 

RABBI MEYER LOVITCH. 
Paducah, Ky., 

May 28, 1912. 



THE EARLY DAYS. 



THE EARLY DAYS. 

The settlement of Jews in the Lower 
Ohio Valley is practically the story of 
the South German Immigration move- 
ment that had its beginning in the years 
previous to 1840. It gradually increased 
for over three decades — its greatest 
development ending with the victorious 
prosecution on the part of Germany, of 
the French War in 1870. Thereafter the 
Fatherland afforded better chances of 
profitable employment. How much this 
and other causes, such as a larger mea- 
sure of religious and political freedom, 
are responsible for the gradual decrease 
and almost total extinction of the Ger- 
man Immigration movement, is not 
within the domain of the author, whose 
task it is to trace briefly the settlement 
of men of the Jewish Faith on the banks 
of the Lower Ohio. Suffice it to say that 

(13) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

co-religionists, principally from Bavaria, 
Baden, Hechingen - Hohenzollern and 
other South German States, were found 
scattered along the Lower Ohio and its 
tributaries many years before 1850. 

These men, mostly young and un- 
married, found their way to the small 
trading posts via New York or Philadel- 
phia, where, on their arrival in this 
country, they found temporary shelter 
under the hospitable roof of some more 
fortunate relative or countryman where 
opportunity was offered to learn the first 
rudiments of the English Language. 
Ambitious to improve their material 
condition — not unlike many other hu- 
man beings, who look for the best 
farthest from home •— they immigrated 
westward, crossing the Allegheny Moun- 
tains by stage coaches and going thence 
from Pittsburg by steamboat to Cincin- 
nati and Louisville. 

In these two cities respectable be- 
ginnings had successfully been made in 

(14) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

the formation of Jewish Congregations 
and it is here that new connections were 
formed for commercial as well as social 
intercourse. Credit was cheerfully ex- 
tended by their co-religionists who 
already, in that early period, conducted 
prosperous wholesale establishments. 
In those days it required neither refer- 
ences nor reports from Dun and Brad- 
street to establish a modest line of 
credit. A good character, combined 
with health, industry and capacity were 
all the requisites necessary. Thus we 
find these hardy pioneers either as ped- 
dlers, or as store-keepers, scattered along 
the shores of the Lower Ohio, Green, 
Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. 
Evansville, Ind., had a small but grow- 
ing colony of Jews, and scattered settle- 
ments can be traced all the way to 
Cairo, 111., and Hickman, Ky. 

As early as 1840, Owensboro, Ky., 
had two respected citizens of our faith, 
in Marcus Suntheimer and Samuel Moise. 

(15) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

Max Kohn, Phillip Rothschild, Henry 
Mendel, Ernest Weil, Abraham Hirsch, 
Simon Greenbaum, settled there between 
1850 and 1860. 

Henderson, Ky., had among its early 
settlers H. Schlesinger, Koltinsky Broth- 
ers, Israel Heyman, Solomon Oberdorfer, 
Abraham Mann, B. Baum, Elias Ober- 
dorfer, M. Heilbronner. 

Hartford, Ohio County, Ky., near 
Owensboro, a little village then as now, 
counted among its pioneer merchants 
before the Civil War, Mr. Gabriel Netter, 
a gallant and ill-fated soldier, of whom 
you shall read more later on. 

Madison ville, Hopkins County, Ky., 
had, about 1842 and for many years 
thereafter, as its largest mercantile es- 
tablishment that of the Lichten Broth- 
ers. The firm consisted of Charles, 
Adolph and Morris Lichten. Shortly 
before the outbreak of the war, they 
moved to Louisville, Ky., where they 

(16) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

successfully conducted a wholesale cloth- 
ing business for many years. 

Mt. Vernon, Ind., counted Moses 
and Daniel Rosenbaum, Levi Hartung, 
David and Louis Mendel, Sampson Ober- 
dorfer, Emanuel Wolf among its mer- 
chants as early as 1854. 

The Jewish roster in other nearby 
communities was: 

Golconda, 111.— Morris Kahn. 

Marion, Crittenden County, Ky.-— 
Isaac and Alexander Levy, Selligman 
Ullman. 

Metropolis, 111.— Bernard Baer and 
Lehman Tannhauser. 

Cairo, 111.— Isaac Farnbaker and 
Isaac Walter. 

Hickman, Ky.— Joseph and Moses 
Amberg, Abraham Goodheart. 

Dycusburg, Ky., on the Cumberland 
River — Moses Bloom. 

Eddyville, Ky., on the Cumberland 
River— Leopold and Simon Block. 

Clarksville, Tenn., on the Cumber- 
(17) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

land River — B. Prosser, I. Lyons and 
G. A. Roth. 

Florence, Ala., on the Tennessee 
River — Alexander W. Falk. 

Undoubtedly other co - religionists 
were located in the different little settle- 
ments on the banks of the rivers or in 
towns adjacent thereto. They received 
constant accessions from their old homes. 
Among others, I recall Gustav EUenbo- 
gen, who came to Smithland about the 
time of the outbreak of the Civil War. 
Before he had had time to learn the 
English language he joined the Confed- 
erate Army and fought through the war, 
returning to Paducah a ragged veteran 
in 1865. 



(18) 



PADUCAH A SANCTUARY 
OF ISRAEL. 



PADUCAH A SANCTUARY 
OF ISRAEL 

Paducah, that friendly town on the 
banks of the Ohio River, was for many 
years previous to the war overshadowed 
in importance as a shipping and com- 
mercial town by Smithland, its neighbor. 
If the war had not intervened and river 
navigation had not been superceded by 
the railroads, it might have been, indeed, 
to-day my duty to write the his- 
tory of the beginnings of the Jew- 
ish congregation in Smithland, rather 
than that of the one in Paducah. 
The former is located at the junction of 
the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers ; it is 
beautifully elevated, has a fine harbor, 
and is surrounded by an excellent agri- 
cultural country. It counted, in the 
early fifties, among its prominent mer- 
chants, Benjamin Weille, Samuel Drey- 

(21) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

fuss, M. Livingston, Leopold Levy, Sam- 
son Rosenfield, Isaac and Jacob Eckstein 
and Samuel Rexinger. The last, soon 
after the commencement of the Civil 
War, joined the Federal Army as a pri- 
vate and by bravery on the field of battle 
rose to the rank of captain. When hos- 
tilities ceased, he settled in Clarksville, 
Tenn., and filled the office of postmaster 
for many years. 

Paducah labored under many serious 
disadvantages, for the country back of 
it was poor and unproductive. Its loca- 
tion was flat and not susceptible to proper 
drainage, hence it was subject to malaria 
and kindred diseases. Besides, its few 
inhabitants could not compare at all 
favorably in wealth with those of the 
neighboring town, which sheltered men 
of capacity and owners of many slaves. 

Paducah's earliest settlers of the 
Jewish faith consisted of Morris and 
Abraham Uri, D. Loewenstein and Leo- 
pold Klaw. They conducted small 

(22) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

country stores on what was called Front 
street, in a row of frame buildings of 
inferior character, which were destroyed 
by fire in 1851, when nearly every store 
house in the town was burned down. 
Undaunted by this calamity, its citizens 
commenced to rebuild on a more sub- 
stantial scale. A year or two after the 
fire, when a charter was procured for a 
company to build a railroad from Padu- 
cah to tap the Mobile and Ohio Railroad 
at, or near, Union City, Tenn., sixty odd 
miles distant, it quickly grasped the op- 
portunity and advantages that the rail- 
road bid fair to bestow. New business 
houses went up, real estate advanced 
and the business of Paducah increased 
largely thereafter. We find a year or 
two before the Civil War — about 1859 — 
a considerable number of our co-relig- 
ionists occupying places of increasing 
prominence in the growing towns. 

Williams' Paducah City Directory 
for 1859 records the following inhabi- 

(23) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

tants and firms of the Jewish faith: 

" Isaac Bodenheimer. 

"Greenbaum & Kaskel, composed 
of Solomon Greenbaum and Ceasar Kas- 
kel. 

" Louis Harris. 

" Nathan Kahn. 

'• Klaw & Bloomgard, composed of 
Leopold Klaw and Jos. Bloomgard. 

** H. Levy. 

" Meyer Lieber. 

" Loeb & Wile, composed of Reuben 
Loeb and Jos. Wile. 

" D. Lowenstein. 

" D. Wolff & Bro., composed of Dan- 
iel, Marcus and Alexander Wolff. 

" C. Frank & Co., composed of Chas. 
Frank, Simon Goldsmith and Abraham 
Goldsmith/' 

Mr. Ceasar Kaskel left Paducah 
during the war, and founded the well- 
known Kaskel haberdashery store on 
Fifth Avenue, New York, which still 
continues under that name. 

(24) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

Mr. Leo. Klaw was the father of 
two sons and one daughter, all born in 
Paducah. Mr. Marc Klaw, the oldest 
son, perhaps the first male child of the 
Jewish faith born in Paducah, is now at 
the head of the theatrical syndicate of 
Klaw & Erlanger, of New York, and is 
a !f actor in the American Drama. 

Reuben Loeb later formed a part- 
nership with Moses Bloom, under the 
firm name of Loeb & Bloom. 

Mr. Joseph Wile returned to Ger- 
many at the outbreak of the war. 

D. Wolff & Bro. became the suc- 
cessors of Morris Uri, who located m 
Louisville in 1863 and who re-entered 
business in Paducah in 1870, where he 
died in 1872. The " Wolff boys,'' as they 
were called by many Paducah people, 
returned to Germany soon after the 
close of the war. 



(25) 



THE BEGINNING OF COM- 
MUNAL LIFE. 



THE BEGINNING OF COM- 
MUNAL LIFE. 

Jewish communal life took form in 
1859, when "Chevra Yeshurum Burial 
Society" was organized and a small 
parcel of land for a cemetery was ac- 
quired on what was then called the Clin- 
ton Road, about four miles from the 
town limit. The deed to this property 
was only recorded in 1864. The delay 
was no doubt caused by the Civil War. 
This small area has since been enlarged 
by subsequent purchases until now it 
has, with the aid of the landscape gar- 
dener, been converted into an attractive 
and well-kept City of the Dead. The 
society was later chartered by the State 
Legislature under an act approved Feb- 
ruary 20th. 1864. A. Goldsmith, M. Uri, 
C. Frank and D. Wolff are named in the 
instrument as the incorporators. 

(29) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

Paducah steadily maintained its 
growth. The manufacturing interests 
multiplied. Two banks, one of which had 
a capital of over $1,000,000, were ably 
and conservatively managed. Gas 
works were constructed. Wholesale 
houses flourished and did a large volume 
of trade. The New Orleans and Ohio 
Railroad was in course of construction. 
In short, Paducah basked in the sun- 
shine of prosperity and rightly looked 
forward to still better and larger things 
in the future, when the dread tocsin of 
Civil War was heard from afar. 

As its echoes resounded from moun- 
tain to hill top and reverberated from 
valley to plain, it reached the bustling, 
yet peaceful city of Paducah. It is 
within the province of the author to 
describe the baneful result of that sad 
period only in so far as it affected the 
fortune and well-being of this little 
community of co-religionists. Paducah 
did not escape the blighting and de- 

(30) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

structive influence of the great war. 

On its outbreak, the tools of the 
mechanic were laid aside, the hissing 
steam of the factories was silenced; 
contracts for building houses were can- 
celled, and everyone lounged listlessly 
about the street wondering "what things 
will come to." About this time, the 
United States Government, through Sec- 
retary of the Treasury Chase, established 
an embargo on trade and commerce be- 
tween the loyal and disaffected States. 
Paducah was the first city in Kentucky 
to which it applied, though in justice to 
its citizens it must be recorded that at 
the outbreak of hostilities it did not 
count a half-dozen outspoken secession- 
ists. 

In September, 1861, General Grant 
came up from Cairo, 111., and took pos- 
session of Paducah. Years after the 
war it was related by those who cour- 
ageously remained in order to protect 
their property, how men and women 

(31) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

fled in the wildest consternation to the 
country, fearing great harm from the 
Federal soldiers. General Grant at once 
issued an order proclaiming that he 
came not to harm them, but to guard 
and protect them, yet the fact remained 
that Paducah was promptly converted 
into a military post and remained a mili- 
tary post from that time to the end of 
the war. Under the then existing mili- 
tary regulations, the commander of the 
post exercised complete supervision of 
the business of the town. Not a pound 
of freight was allowed to be shipped 
into the place without his written per- 
mission, nor was it lawful to ship a dol- 
lar's worth of goods out of the town 
without a military permit. Trade and 
commerce flourishes most where least 
interfered with. It became impossible 
to carry on business under such unfor- 
tunate conditions. The belief prevailed 
that the trouble would soon blow over, 
but when months of stress and storm 

(32) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

lengthened into years, and when finally 
the Confederate General Forest made 
his raid into Tennessee and incidentally 
paid a hurried visit to Paducah in March, 
1863, bringing in his train death and de- 
struction, all attempts at orderly, safe 
and sane municipal government were 
for the time abandoned, A period of 
unrest and insecurity took hold of the 
citizens and chaos prevailed everywhere. 
Families moved their belongings to 
places of safety. Stores were closed. 
Little stocks of merchandise were hur- 
riedly packed and re-shipped to points of 
greater safety. Dread and apprehension 
lay like a pall upon the town. 

Those in truth were the dark days. 
What little of communal, social and com- 
mercial activity still existed was almost 
completely suspended, and it was only 
the surrender at Appomattox in 1865 
that brought new hope and courage to 
its people and again revived the firm con- 
viction in the minds of Paducah's citi- 

(33) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

zens that its destiny to become a large 
and prosperous center of population had 
only been delayed by war, and not de- 
stroyed. 



(34) 



A JEWISH WAR-TIME HERO. 



A JEWISH WAR^TIME HERO. 

Yet, out of the travail and despair 
of those war-time days there was born 
to Kentucky Judaism an imperishable 
tradition of valor. The region of the 
Lower Ohio gave to the Union cause a 
real hero in the lamented Colonel Gabriel 
Netter, and I regard it a privilege to be 
able to record on the pages of this little 
volume some tribute to his worth as a 
man and his courage as a soldier. 

Colonel Netter was a Frenchman by 
birth, but a true American by adoption. 
At the outbreak of the war he was do- 
ing a profitable business in Ohio County. 
All desire for personal or material ad- 
vancement melted under the swift rush 
of his patriotism. He enlisted as a pri- 
vate and rose to be colonel. 

He had spent some time at Evans- 
ville, Indiana, and his friends and fellow 

(37) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEIVS 

citizens held him in such admiration that 
they presented him with a sword and 
sash. Fortunately, I have the corres- 
pondence which relates to this testimo- 
nial, and I reproduce it. 

The letter which preceded the gift 
is as follows : 

Evansville, Ind., Aug., '62. 
Col. Gabriel Netter, 

Hartford, Ky. 
Sir:— 

Some of your old friends and citizens of 
Evansville, appreciating your services and ap- 
proving your courage and zeal in the cause of 
our country, desire to present you a sword and 
sash accompanying this letter. Although but a 
slight testimonial, they feel assured you will 
prize it and will continue to persevere in the 
prosecution of the glorious undertaking until the 
last of our country's enemies shall be put down. 
You will, then, accept this token of their 
approbation for past services and assurance of 
kind regards. 

V/ith best wishes for future success, I have 
the honor to be. 

Your obedient servant, 

W. E. HOLLINGSWORTH, 
Col. 2d Indiana Legion. 

Nothing could have been more char- 

(38) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

acteristic of this man than his response, 
which reads : 

Headquarters Netter Battallion, 
Hartford, Ky., Aug. 10th, 1862. 
Col. W. E. Hollingsworth, 
Com'd'ing 2d Ind. Legion, 
Evansville, Ind. 
Colonel :— 

The handsome sash, beautiful sword, and so 
very kind letter, presented to me by yourself 
and others of your true, loyal and generous 
townsmen, came all duly to hand to-day. 

With my heart only, not with words, can or 
will I thank you. Such an encouragement from 
my countrymen is a compliment to be remem- 
bered to the last. 

May God grant me to show and prove myself 
worthy of your generosity and kindness— worthy 
of taking my humble share in the war for the 
redemption of our country. 

May He grant me, if I fall, to fall with my 
face to the foe, my last breath expending itself 
in a kiss to the fine blade you presented me with, 
my last prayer to be listened to by the Almighty, 
for the speedy success of our noble and holy 
cause. 

Believe me, sir, forever, 

Your true friend, 

GABRIEL NETTER, 
Lt. Col. Comm'g. 
P. S.— To my friends, please be patient. I 
have got a great deal to contend with. I was 
(39) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

sent to this place without a man or a gun and 
have been much neglected since ; but I will get 
ready, by the by, nevertheless. 

G. N. 

For some measure of Colonel Netter 
as an old comrade saw him, and which 
is perhaps better than any that I could 
pay, I am indebted to the following very 
interesting letter from Mr. C. B. Mit- 
chell, of Owensboro, one of the few sur- 
viving members of the Netter Battalion : 

Owensboro, Ky., Sept. 11th, 1911. 
I. W. Bernheim, 

Louisville, Ky. 
Dear Sir : — 

Replying further and more at length to your 
favor of the 2nd inst. making inquiries in regard 
to the character and life of Colonel Gabriel 
Netter, and especially his short but brilliant 
military career, I will say that I served under 
him but a brief time, but during that time, as 
short as it was, I had an exceptionally good 
opportunity to learn a good deal about the man, 
and the more I sav/ of him and the better I 
knew him, the more I admired him, and it affords 
me a great deal of pleasure to be permitted to 
offer my humble tribute to his memory. 

I have heard him spoken of as "A little 
Dutchman," by way of derision, but if I am 
correctly informed, he was a French Jew. In 
(40) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

this 1 may be mistaken, but I do not think that 
I am. But whether French or German, he was 
an honor to his race and to the country that gave 
him birth. 

He was rather under the medium size, prob- 
ably about five feet six inches in height, and 
weighed about one hundred and forty to one 
hundred and fifty pounds, but well formed and 
well proportioned ; light complexion and of fine 
personal appearance, and of very pleasing ad- 
dress, courteous and affable in his manner and 
as polite as the proverbial French dancing mas- 
ter. Gentle as a lamb, he was as brave as a 
lion. 

I was told that prior to the war he was 
selling goods at Cromwell, Ohio county, Ky., 
but the first I knew of him was when he re- 
cruited a company and went into the army as a 
captain in the Twenty-sixth Kentucky Infantry, 
which was raised and mustered into the service 
at Owensboro, Ky., some time in the fall of 
1861. 

While serving with that regiment, he dis- 
tinguished himself to such an extentfthat some 
time early in the summer of 1862 he was com- 
missioned as lieutenant-colonel of the Fifteenth 
Kentucky Cavalry, and was authorized by the 
Governor to recruit a regiment to be called the 
Thirty-fourth Kentucky Mounted Infantry. He 
first established his camp at Hartford, but soon 
afterwards removed his headquarters to Owens- 
boro, where I enlisted with him on the 15th day 
of August, 1862. 

(41) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

I had formed an opinion, from what I had 
heard of him, that he was a reckless dare-devil, 
and hesitated somewhat to enroll myself under 
his standard, but a recruiting officer who wished 
me to join his company insisted that I had mis- 
judged the colonel, and at his suggestion 1 vis- 
ited the camp and was introduced to Colonel 
Netter and conversed with him and heard him 
talking to others and soon became convinced 
that, although he was a man of undoubted cour- 
age, he was also a man of discretion and sound 
judgment, and would not needlessly expose his 
men or make a move unless he saw that there 
was something to be gained by it. 

On that eventful morning of September 
19th, 1862, a very heavy fog covered the earth, 
and no object was visible except at a very short 
distance. We were camped at the fair grounds, 
about three-fourths of a mile west of the town, 
and probably about one-fourth of a mile from 
the Ohio river. At a very early hour in the 
morning, say about 6:30, a Union man who lived 
near the western limits of the town, favored by 
the fog, came breathlessly into camp and in- 
formed us that the town was full of rebels, that 
there was a whole regiment of them had pos- 
session of the town. They had traveled all 
night and had certainly taken us by surprise. 

Of course, we expected a fight, and while 
we were making the necessary preparations, a 
young negro about eighteen years of age, who 
had formerly been in my employ, made his way 
into camp and hunted me up and told me he had 
(42) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

overheard a conversation between some of the 
rebel soldiers, from which he learned that they 
had divided their forces and that about one-half 
of them occupied a strip of woods west of our 
camp, expecting that our colonel would immedi- 
ately advance to engage the enemy in town, 
and then they would come in, take possession of 
the camp and appropriate or destroy all of the 
government property there, which was sufficient 
to equip a whole regiment. I took the negro to 
my captain and he took him to the colonel, who, 
after questioning him closely, came to the con- 
clusion that the negro was probably telling the 
truth, and that at any rate he would investigate 
the matter and find out for himself, and pro- 
ceeded to make his plans accordingly. 

He had probably about four hundred and 
fifty men enlisted at this time, but they were 
scattered all over the surrounding country re- 
cruiting, and there was not to exceed two hun- 
dred and fifty men in camp. He had one piece 
of artillery (a six-pound brass gun) , which he 
left with our company of about twenty-five men, 
besides the gun squad, to watch the town, and 
he started down the Dublin lane toward the 
river, with about two hundred men. He only 
went a short distance when he halted his men 
and returned to give some final instructions to 
the captain commanding our company. By this 
time the fog had disappeared, and while he was 
still engaged in giving his orders to our captain, 
a rebel officer was seen approaching from the 
direction of the town bearing a flag of truce. 

(43) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

He was halted by the pickets who were stationed 
a short distance up the road toward town. When 
the attention of the colonel was called to him, 
he motioned for the pickets to pass him in and ad- 
vanced a short distance to meet him. After a 
few words had passed between them unheard by 
us, he came back to us accompanied by the rebel 
officer and addressing us in a tone of voice as 
gentle as though he was speaking to a company 
of ladies, said : 

** Boys, this officer comes with a flag of truce 
from Lieutenat-colonel Martin, who, with eight 
hundred guerillas, has possession of the town 
and demands of me a surrender of all of my 
command and of all of the government property 
in my possession. I want you to hear my an- 
swer." 

He then turned facing the rebel officer, and, 
with a graceful wave o± hand, pointed towards 
the ground, and said : 

** NEVER, till the last man of us is laid low 
in the dust." 

He then turned to us, and in the same mild 
and gentle tone of voice inquired : '* Boys, does 
my answer suit you ? " 

ISuch was tne confidence that we had in our 
brave young commander, that there was nothing 
else for us to do but to do just what we did, and 
that was to swing our caps in the air and respond 
with three hearty and lusty cheers. The rebel 
officer seemed to be deeply impressed by the 
scene, for there was no acting in this. It was 
all very serious, sober reality. We were in the 
(44) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

presence of possible and probable death, and it 
proved to be nearer than even any of us antici- 
pated. 

The rebel officer remarked, as he prepared 
to retire : " Colonel, I carry back with me the 
most profound respect for you and your brave 
men." With a parting salute, he returned to 
deliver his message to his chief, and the colonel 
joined his command that had been waiting for 
him in the lane. He moved on to the river, then 
down the river road a short distance, over the 
fence into a corn field, where he met the enemy, 
and a lively skirmish ensued. In less than an 
hour from the time that he refused to surrender, 
he was brought back to camp a lifeless corpse. 

Thus died at the early age of twenty-six one 
of the most promising young men that the war 
thus far had developed. 

Had he lived through the war, I doubt not 
but that his splendid talents and military genius 
would have received proper recognition, and a 
brigadier's, if not a major general's commission, 
would have been his reward before the peace 
was finally secured. His name and fame w^ould 
have been placed along side of such men as 
Sheridan, Kilpa trick and Custer. 

He was of that race of people that produced 
a Joshua, a Gideon and a David ; and that na- 
tionality Ithat claimed a LaFayette among its 
honored citizens, and gave to the world, in the 
person of Napoleon, the greatest mihtary genius 
of all history. And neither Jew nor Frenchman 
need ever blush at the sound of the name of 
Gabriel Netter. 

(45j 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

He had a married sister living in Evansville, 
Indiana, who was at once notified of his death. 
Her husband came up on the first boat and took 
charge of the remains, but only after we had 
been permitted to pass by the bier, with arms 
reversed, and take one last and farewell look at 
the features of our beloved commander. He 
was laid to rest in the cemetery at Evansville. 

Just twenty years after that time, the Fed- 
eral soldiers of this place received an invitation 
to visit Evansville and participate in the services 
incident to Memorial or Decoration Day on May 
30th, 1882. Comrade John A. Brown, who had 
served in the same company with myself, and 
who, like myself, was a devoted admirer of 
Colonel Netter, got into communication with the 
family of the colonel's sister, then a widow, and 
informed them that a few of the colonel's old 
soldiers would be down at that time and were 
desirous of finding his grave, in order that we 
might honor his memory in a special manner. 

When we arrived at Evansville, and were 
escorted to Evans Hall, where headquarters had 
been established, we found two of his nieces 
there waiting to greet us, and who exhibited to 
us his sword and sash that he had worn while 
with us in person. They also had with them a 
photograph picture of him, which afforded us a 
sad pleasure. 

After the general memorial services were 
concluded, the survivors of the old Netter Bat- 
talion were conducted to his grave on a private 
lot in the cemetery, and after a short address 

(46) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

by Colonel John H. McHenry, formerly colonel 
of the Seventeenth Kentucky Infantry, who 
knew him well and appreciated his worth, we 
proceeded to place oar floral offerings on the 
mound that marked the place where slept our 
honored dead. With sad hearts, awakened by 
the memory of the loss of one whom we loved 
so well, we silently and reverently took our 
departure from the hallowed spot and left him 
alone in his glory. 

After his death, his recruits were transfer- 
red to and mustered in as part of the Twelfth 
Kentucky Cavalry, but we still held to the name 
and were proud to designate ourselves as the 
''Netter Battalion." 

With kindest regards, I remain, 
Very truly yours, 

C. B. MITCHELL, 
One of the " Netter Battalion." 



(47) 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 

With the dawn of peace came law, 
order and security. These fundamental 
requirements of well-ordered society and 
successful commercial endeavor, stimu- 
lated all citizens to renewed efforts to 
efface the ravages of the previous years. 
Stores were re-opened and factories 
were re-established. Many of the old 
settlers returned, and even the New Or- 
leans and Ohio Railroad, which during 
the war had had a checkered career, 
verging on the point of bankruptcy, re- 
sumed operations and established a reg- 
ular tri-weekly train service between 
Paducah and Union City, Tenn. 

Twyman's Paducah City Directory, 
published in 1866, enumerates the fol- 
lowing names of citizens of the Jewish 
Faith: 

A. Aaron Julius Kahn 

Moses Adler Nathan Kahn 

(51) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEV/S 

Moses Bloom J. W. Kaskell 

Isaac Bodenheimer Meyer Lieber 
Louis Bodenheimer M. Livingston 
Henry Dryfuss R. Loeb 
N. Dryfuss A. Solomon 

S. Fels Joseph Ullman 

David Friedman Meyer Weil 
Herman Friedman Jacob Weil 
Julius Friedman Henry Weil 
Abraham Goldsmith Berthold Weil 
Simon Goldsmith Benjamin Weille 
A. Goodheart Bernard Weil 

Louis Harris F. Wile 

Chas. H. Kahn Joseph Wile 
Moses Kahn Abraham Wolf 

Chas. H. Kahn conducted a dry 
goods store with his brothers, Moses and 
Julius, and sold out his interest to the 
latter about 1870, when he emigrated to 
Texas. He served as chief of the Dallas 
fire departm.ent for several years. 

Joseph Ullman, son of Sellignian 
Ullman, came from Marion, Ky,, At the 
outbreak of the war he and his brother 

(52) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

Jacob joined the Confederate forces. 
Joseph fought throughout the entire 
war. 

Meyer Weil, a distinguished looking 
man and fearless to the point of reck- 
lessness, conducted, before the war, a 
flourishing business, first in Wadesboro, 
Ky., then in partnership with his broth- 
ers, Jacob and Henry, in Mayfield, Ky. 
Shortly before the close of the war they 
m®ved to Paducah, where they engaged 
in the dry goods business. He dissolved 
partnership with his brothers and became 
an extensive handler of leaf tobacco. 
Myer Weil was one of the founders of 
the First National Bank, and served for 
many years as one of its directors. Dur- 
ing the war he was a staunch Union 
man, but at the close allied himself with 
the Democratic Party. He served Pa- 
ducah with credit and ability as Mayor 
for eight years. He was elected in 1871 
and re-elected in 1877. Later he acted 
as City Tax Collector, and in 1888 he 

(53) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

represented McCracken County in the 
Kentucky Legislature for two terms. He 
was an intelligent and forceful man, a 
native of Haigerloch, Germany. He 
died April 13th, 1891, at the age of sixty- 
one. 

Among the above names I find repre- 
sentatives of all branches of trade, from 
shoe-maker, tailor and baker to whole- 
sale dealers in dry goods, groceries, whis- 
kies and tobacco. The community en- 
joyed a very prosperous period immedi- 
ately after the close of the Civil War, 
because of its proximity to the States of 
Tenneesee and Alabama, which were 
practically bare of the necessaries, as 
well as the comforts of life, and conse- 
quently, when unrestricted communica- 
tions were restored, they flocked to Pa- 
ducah and laid in supplies. Whole fam- 
ilies came down the Tennessee and 
Cumberland Rivers with gold which had 
not seen the light of day since the be- 
ginning of the war. This commercial 

(54) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

activity brought back refugees who had 
left during the war, and attracted set- 
tlers from other sections of the country, 
as well as from Europe. 

Among those of our co-religionists 
who settled in the period from 1867 to 
1870, I recall from a memory, perhaps 
somewhat faulty, the following : 

Mr. and Mrs. Morris Uri and family. 

Mr. Alexander Levy and family. 

Mr. Isaac Levy and family. 

Henry Burgauer. 

Julius Weil. 

Isaac W. Bernheim. 

Samuel K. Cohn. 

Simon Dryfuss. 

Nathan Klein and family. 

Solomon Marks. 

Jacob Marks. 

Louis Gross. 

Herman and Jacob Wallerstein. 

Solomon Kuhn. 

Lee Schwab. 

Samuel Fels. 

Leopold Dryfuss. 

Mr, and Mrs. Moses Adler. 

(55) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

The old Chevra Yeshurum, like local 
religious associations of other sects, suf- 
fered a lethargic existence during the 
war. After its close, the reconstruction 
period kept Jew and Gentile in a high 
state of excitement. Spiritual endeavor 
had to await the settlement of questions 
seriously affecting the civic and economic, 
as well as the social welfare of the in- 
habitants. 

Not until the fall of 1868 was an ef- 
fort made to organize for Jewish wor- 
ship. The first services of New Year 
and the Day of Atonement were held on 
the third floor over M. Livingston & Com- 
pany's dry goods store, at the corner of 
Market and Broadway (now Second and 
Broadway) . Mr. Livingston was at that 
time the President of the Chevra, and it 
was he that auctioned off the seats. The 
proceeds were used for the purpose of 
defraying the necessary expenses. One 
of the main items of expense consisted 
in the employment of a reader to con- 

(56) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

duct the services. The traveling reader, 
I may add, was a peculiar institution, 
while Judaism was in its formative 
period in the smaller cities of our land. 
The applicant for a position almost 
always styled himself a Rabbi. Upon 
investigation, he was either found to be 
an unsuccessful German teacher or an 
individual who claimed to have attended 
some Yeshiba in Poland. In some cases 
the applicant was a foreign clerk, with- 
out a job, who had a smattering of He- 
brew knowledge. They were a peculiar 
and none too conscientious lot. In some 
instances they carried with them a 
Shojer and a Sefer Thora — their tools in 
the trade. About the holidays the woods 
were full of them and many were th e 
stories related about them. After the 
holidays they disappeared, eked out a 
very precarious living, only to reappear 
again on the scene of action the follow- 
ing year. 



(57) 



A HOUSE OF WORSHIP 
AT LAST. 



A HOUSE OF WORSHIP AT LAST 

During the following years (1869 
and 1870) , the holiday services were con- 
ducted in the same place. The Orthodox 
lines were strictly maintained. Family 
pews were not tolerated, and the Hebrew 
language was used exclusively. 

The year 1870 saw the organization 
of the B'nai Brith Lodge. The installa- 
tion of its first officers was a most inter- 
esting function and the banquet prepared 
by the Jewish ladies in celebration of the 
event gave the first impetus to the form- 
ation of a congregation. A committee 
of women was shortly thereafter selec- 
ted. It co-operated most enthusiastically 
with the committee of men, of which 
Mr. M. Livingston was chairman, to col- 
lect money for the purchase of a lot and 
for the construction of a modest Sya- 
gogue. 

(61) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

In March, 1871, the articles of the 
Chevra Yeshurum Burial Society were 
amended as follows : 

"An Act to Amend the Charter of the Paducah 

Yeshurum Burial Society. 

" Be it Enacted by the General Assembly of 
the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 

''1. That section one of an act entitled 'An 
Act to Charter the Chevra Yeshurum Burial So- 
ciety,' approved February twentieth, eighteen 
hundred and sixty-four, be and the same is here- 
by amended by striking out 'two thousand dol- 
lars' where it occurs and inserting in lieu thereof 
'thirty thousand dollars.' 

"2. That said Society may act as a congre 
tion for religious worship, and may hold, use, 
acquire by gift, devise, grant or purchase such 
real estate and personal property as may be nec- 
essary for their full enjoyment as a burial society 
and congregation not exceeding in value said 
thirty thousand dollars, and if any of the present 
members shall not be willing to remain in the 
Society under the amended charter they shall 
have and retain ail their rights and privileges to 
the burying ground as heretofore on paying their 
pro rata dues of the expense to uphold the bury- 
ing ground. 

"JOHN T. BUNCH, 

" Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
"G. A. C.HOLT, 
" Speaker of the Senate. 

"Approved 15th March, 1871. 
" By the Governor: 

"P. H. LESLIE. 

" SAML. B. CHURCHILL, 

"Sec'y of State." 

(62) 



AN A USPiaOUS DEDICA TION. 



AN A USPICIOUS DEDICA TION. 

The Congregation was formed with 
Meyer Lieber as its first President and 
Henry Burgauer as Secretary. Mr. Mor- 
ris Uri, an ardent, progressive and intel- 
ligent man, became the Chairman of the 
Building Committee. Funds were suc- 
cessfully raised. A piece of ground on 
Chestnut street, between Clark and 
Adams (now South Fifth street,) was 
acquired, and a two-story frame building 
was erected thereon. The Synagogue was 
finished and dedicated in September, 
1871. 

The exercises connected with the 
dedication of the building were impres- 
sive indeed. A procession was formed 
at the residence of Mr. Lieber, on Court 
street. At its head marched the vener- 
able Mr. Abraham Good heart, who car- 
ried the Scroll of the Law, followed by 

(65) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

the children of the members, the officers 
of the Congregation, the Building Com- 
mittee, the Mayor, the City Council, and 
many of its citizens. It was a gala day 
for the little town. A Synagogue was a 
novelty and attracted a large number of 
people who up to that time had never 
seen such a house of worship and had 
but a faint idea of Judaism, its princi- 
ples and ideals. 

Mr. Uri, as Chairman of the Build- 
ing Committee, handed the keys of the 
newly-erected Synagogue to the Presi- 
dent with a few well-chosen remarks, 
and the first regular Friday evening 
services before the beginning of the 
holidays in 1871 commenced, with a good 
choir, under the leadership of Reverend 
Mr. Leon Leopold, who was elected its 
first Rabbi. It was an auspicious start. 
Mr. Leopold officiated as Rabbi and 
teacher of the Sunday-school with zeal 
and ability. He had served as reader of 
a Congregation for some years in Mem- 

(66) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

phis, Tenn., was a man of pleasing ap- 
perance, possessed a well-trained tenor 
voice and applied himself diligently to 
the work at hand. 

The first choir was directed by Miss 
Purington, as organist, and consisted of 
Mrs. Henry Weil, Miss Fannie Rabb, 
Miss Amanda Uri, Messrs. B. Bernheim, 
Henry Dryf uss and Simon Wolff. Shortly 
thereafter Miss Maggie McClellan and 
Miss Fannie Uri became members. Un- 
der the leadership of Miss Purington, it 
soon became recognized as the best mu- 
sical organization in town, and many 
were its triumphs during the first years 
of its existence. The services were con- 
ducted along modern reformed lines, 
although in the formation of the Con- 
gregation it required many heated meet- 
ings before a majority of its members 
abandoned Orthodoxy. 

The question of family pews almost 
disrupted the little struggling organiza- 
tion, and when the question of removing 

(67) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

hats during Divine Worship was raised, 
it created a perfect storm of opposition. 
Only the tactful management of Mr. 
Uri led to an honorable compromise. It 
was decided that members who consci- 
entiously believed that it was a sin to 
bare one's head during worship were to 
have the privilege of keeping their heads 
covered. To the surprise of the mem- 
bers (it appeared during the first serv- 
ice,) Mr. Abraham Goodheart was the 
only member who adhered to the Ortho- 
dox rule, which he persistently did up to 
the time of his death. 

During the "Feast of Shevuoth '' 
in 1872, the Confirmation exercises and 
the services connected therewith were 
very solemn. The choir was at its best 
and the Rabbi faced an audience that 
packed the little house of worship. Mr. 
Leopold was not, and never claimed to 
be, an educated theologian, but he pos- 
sessed, along with other qualities, a most 
retentive memory, and on that occasion 

(68) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

delivered a very interesting address. 

The class confirmed consisted of Miss 
Bertha Levy, daugher of Mr. and Mrs. 
Alexander Levy; Emil Kahn, son of Mr. 
and Mrs. Nathan Kahn; Willie Levy, 
son of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Levy; Benja- 
min Weille, son of Mr. and Mrs. Benja- 
min Weille ; Bennie Lieber, son of Mr. 
and Mrs. M. Lieber, and Sylvan Leopold, 
son of Rabbi and Mrs. Leopold. 

The Confirmation exercises made a 
deep and lasting impression on the minds 
of the members of the Congregation. 
The battle for Reform Judaism had been 
won and the question of Orthodox Cere- 
monials, which heretofore had created 
discussion and trouble, was forever put 
to rest. The Congregation Kehillah 
Kodesh Bene Yeshurum, as successor of 
the Chevra Yeshurum, became an insti- 
tution firmly established. It had its 
struggles, financially and otherwise, par- 
ticularly during the dark days of the 
panic year, 1872, and the lean years f ol- 

(69) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

lowing thereafter; but, to the credit of 
the Jews of Paducah be it recorded that 
the doors of their house of worship have 
never been closed since its inception, nor 
has there ever been a period since then 
that every child of Jewish parents did 
not have the opportunity to receive in- 
structions in the principles and tenets of 
their faith. The modest frame building 
on Fifth street served its purpose well 
for many years. Its spiritual affairs 
were creditably administered from 1871 
to 1877 by Rev. Leon Leopold ; by Rabbi 
G. Taubenhaus from 1879 to 1880; Rev. 
G. S. Ensel from 1880 to 1885; Dr. Mor- 
ris Fluegel from 1885 to 1889 ; Rev. L. 
Schrieber 1890 to 1891; Rev. M. Unger- 
leider 1892 to 1894. 

Dr. Morris Fluegel was a native of 
Roumania ; studied in Leipzig, and re- 
ceived his degree as Rabbi in Paris. He 
was a man of decided ability and high 
character. He left Paducah in 1889; re- 
moved to Baltimore, Md,, and devoted 

(70) 



IN THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY 

himself thenceforward to literature. He 
is the author of a number of works 
dealing with religious subjects, which 
received well-deserved recognition in 
this country and in Europe. He died in 
Baltimore in 1911, in his 73d year. 

The increasing population of Padu- 
cah brought about a corresponding in- 
crease in the population of the Jewish 
faith. They had proven their faith in 
thel ultimate destiny of the struggling 
village and in all modesty it may be" 
claimed that the now beautiful City of 
Paducah is indebted for its growth and 
enterprise and importance to no small 
extent to the enterprise of the merchants 
and capitalists of our belief. 

It is a pleasure, no less than an agree- 
able duty on the part of the author of 
this sketch, to testify from personal ex- 
perience to the harmonious relations 
which have always existed between 
Gentile and Jew. Paducah, to this day, 
has remained a town of the broadest 

(71) 



THE SETTLEMENT OF JEWS 

democratic principles. All sects mingle 
on a basis of equality and good will, so- 
cially as well as commercially. I hope 
these good relations may ever remain 
undisturbed and the friendly city on the 
beautiful Ohio may prosper and expand 
until it has attained its still greater 
growth, of which its humble inhabitants 
dreamed in the long ago. 



(72) 



TEMPLE ISRAEL. 



i 


'^=^ 


1 


iiOSfe 






1 - - *:.-..A.3Bip»» 



Temple Israel was incorporated May 24th, 
1893, succeeding Kelo Kodesh Bene Yeshurum, 
which in turn succeeded Paducah Chevra Yeshu- 
rum Burial Society, chartered February 20th, 
1864. The new Temple was dedicated in 1893. 
Since then ihe Jewish community has had a slow 
but steady growth, and at the present time is 
more prosperous than ever in its history. Tem- 
ple Israel has a membership of ninety (90) and 
Paducah a population of three hundred (300) 
Jewish souls. Temple Israel is affiliated with 
the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 
The community maintains a relief society, man- 
aged by Mr. Mose Simon. The Jews of Paducah 
are f ort^mate in that they do not need to expend 
any money for the local relief of their brethren. 
They j^ive liberally of their means to local non- 
Jewish institutions and to National Jewish insti- 
tutions. Most of our male adults are members 
of Harmony Lodge 1. 0. B. B. 

(73) 



YESHURUM, PADUCAH, KY. 



YEAR 

1879* Rev. 

1880 Rev. 

1881 Rev. 

1882 Rev. 

1883 Rev. 

1884 Rev. 

1885 Rev. 

1886 Rev. 

1887 Rev. 

1888 Rev. 

1889 Rev. 

1890 Rev. 

1891 Rev, 

1892 Rev. 

1893 Rev. 

1894 Rev. 
18951 Rev. 

1896 Rev. 

1897 Rev. 

1898 Rev. 

1899 Rev. 

1900 Bev. 

1901 Rev. 

1902 Rev. 

1903 Rev. 

1904 Rev. 

1905 Rev. 

1906 Rev. 

1907 Rev. 
1903 Rev. 

1909 Rev. 

1910 Rev. 

1911 Rev. 

1912 Rev. 



RABBI PRESIDENT 

G. Taubenhaus M. Bloom 
G. Taubenhaus M. Bloom 
G. S. Ensel 
G. S. Ensel 
G. S. Ensel 
G. S. Ensel 
G. S. Ensel 
G. S. Ensel 
G. S. Ensel 
M. Fluegel 
M. Fluegel 
L. Schreiber 
L. Schreiber 



SECRETARY 
Jos. Blum 
H. Burgauer 
M. Livingston H. Burgauer 
Moses Kahn Morris Epstein 
I. W. Bernheim Samuel K. Cohn 
M. Kahn S. I. Levy 

Leo. Friedman! M. Livingston 
Leo. Friedman M. Livingston 
Leo. Friedman M. Livingston 
I. W. Bernheim Samuel K. Cohn 



M. Bloom 
M. Bloom 
M. Bloom 



M. Ungerleider M. Bloom 
M. Ungerleider M. Bloom 
M. Ungerleider M. Bloom 
M. Ungerleider M. Bloom 
M. Ungerleider M. Bloom 
M. Ungerleider M Blctm 
H. G. Enelow M. Bloom 
H. G. Enelow M. Bloom 
G. H. Enelow M. Bloom 
David Alexander M. Bloom 
David Alexander M. Bloom 
David Alexander M. Bloorn 
David Alexander M. Bloom 
Meyer Lovitch M. Bloom 
Meyer Lovitch Sol, Dreyfuss 
Meyer Lovitch 



Samuel K. Cohn 
Semuel K. Cohn 
Samuel K. Cohn 
Samuel K. Cohn 
Julius Friedman 
Julius Friedman 
Julius Friedman 
Julius Friedman 
Juliui Friedman 
I, Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 
I. Nauheim 



Sol. Dreyfuss 
Meyer Lovitch John W. Keiler I. Nauheim 
Meyer Lovitch John W. Keiler I. Nauheim 
Meyer Lovitch John W. Keiler Jacob Benedict 
Meyer Lovitch John W. Keiler Jacob Benedict 
Meyer Lovitch H. Wallerstein Jacob Benedict 



♦Records prior to 1879 destroyed by fire. Rabbis prior to 1879 

Reverends Leopold and Ichenbrun: 
tFather of Joseph L. Friedman. 
{Congregation's name reported as Temple Israel. 



(74) 



MEMBERSHIP OF TEMPLE ISRAEL 

JULY/ St, 1912. 

Ackerman, H. 
Anspacher, Abe 
Baer, Mrs. M. 
Benedict, J . 
Bright, Mrs. P. 
Biederman, Henry 
Biederman, Jake 
Biederman, Mrs. A. 
Bodenheimer, Mrs. M. 
Brown, Reuben 
Burgauer, Mrs. R. 
Cohn, Ike 
Cohn, Samuel 
Cohn, S. K. 
Dreyfuss, Sam. 
Dreyfuss, Sol. 
Desberger, D. 
Desberger, Joseph 
Elb, Moses L. 
Fels, Mrs. Jeanette 
Fels, Samuel 
Frank, A. L. 
Friedman, Herman 
Friedman, Joseph L. 
Friedman, Julius 



Keiler, John W. 
Keiler, Leo F. 
Klein, Isadore 
Klein, Jos. 
Klein, Mrs. Annie 
Laevison, Jos. 
Levin, Frank 
Levy, Alfred 
Levy, Alex. 
Levy, David 
Levy, Mrs. Rose W. 
Levy, Mrs. Hannah 
Levy, Mrs. Peppie 
Levy, Sam. I. 
Livingston, Abe 
Livingston, Harry 
Livingston, Mrs. A. 
Loeb, Mrs. R. 
Loeb, Rudolph 
Loeb, Sidney 
Lookofsky, Mike 
Markofsky, Abe 
Marks, Moses 
Marks, Mrs. Yetta 
May, Mrs. Clara 



Friedman, Mrs. Louise Michael, Chas 



Greenbaum, James 
Harris, Mrs. M. 
Herman, Alfred 
Hummel, L. 
Kahn, Oscar, 



Michael, Mike 
Michael, Mohr 
Muth, Jacob 
Nauheim, Mrs. Sophia 
Newman, C. B. 
(75) 



Pearson, Ike 
Rosenthal, Mrs. Bessie 
Rubel, Louis 
Rosenfield, S. 
Sshwab, Moses 
Simon, Moses 
Sloan, L. B. 
Stark, Sam 
Steinfeld, Dr. M 
Solomon, Marcus 
Tick, Julius 
Tick, S. I. 

Wallerstein, Herbert 
Wallerstein, Herman 



Wallerstein, Jacob 
Wallerstein, Melvin 
Wallerstein, Milton 
Weil, Adolph 
Weil, Jacob 
Weil, Julius 
Weil, Mrs. Belle M. 
Weil, Mrs. Jeanette 
Weille, Ben. 
Weille, Chas. 
Weille, James 
Weille, Mrs. Jeanette 
Wolf, Mrs. Bertha 
Ullman, Albert 



(76) 



Officers and Board of Directors of Temple 

Israel 19 1 2 J9 13. 

Herman Wallerstein - - _ President 

S. I. Levy Vice-President 

Jacob Wallerstein - - - - Treasurer 

J. Benedict Secretary 

Buford Ullman - . _ _ Warden 

Bicderman, Jacob Michael, Mohr 

Friedman, Jos. L. Nauheim, Mrs. Sophia 

Keiler, John W. Rubel, Louis 

Livingston, Harry Simon, Mose 

Loeb, Mrs. Sidney. Weil, Mis. Belle M. 

Weil, Mrs. Julius 



Sabhath'School Teachers. 

Miss Aimee Dreyfuss Miss Florence Loeb 
Miss Henrietta Kahn Mrs. Hannah Levy 
Miss Lucille Weil 



Choir. 

Mrs. James Gruenebaum, - - Choir Leader 

Mrs. F. N. Burns, Organist 

Mrs. Edgar Lyle Mr. Emmet S. Bagby 

Mr. Slavic Mall 



Rabbi 
MEYER LOVITCH 



(77) 



special Notes. 

The first burial in the Cemetery was on Sep- 
tember 26th, 1864. 

Additional names of Jews here in 1863 were 
Mr. Shane and family, Mr. Ph. Friedlander and 
family and Mr. Alexander and family. 

Mr. Emmanuel Fels, for many years a resi- 
dent of, and who died in Paducah, enlisted in the 
Confederate Army in Arkansas, and served with 
honor during the entire war. He was wounded 
at Murfreesboro, Tenn., was taken prisoner, 
but escaped. 

Additional members of the original choir in- 
augurated by Rev. Leopold were: Mesdames 
Moses Adler, Henry Burgauer and Moses Kahn, 
and Miss Hannah Burbaum. 



H^ 107 89 



(78) 









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